Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Upcoming CMT Crossroads Features Sting and Vince Gill
After a five-year absence, CMT is bringing back its critically acclaimed series CMT CROSSROADS to New York City, for an invitation-only taping of two of music’s biggest superstars. Sting and Gill will perform their classic hits and selections from both of their highly anticipated new releases hitting stores this fall.
“We are long overdue for a CMT Crossroads taping in New York City. Some of our best shows ever were taped there, and this will be no exception,” says John Hamlin, SVP, Music Events and Talent, CMT. “These are two Hall of Famers who, by our count, have 36 Grammys between them. Both artists have wanted to do Crossroads for years and this is the perfect pairing for them. They have been waiting for the right time and now is the time. This is going to be an unforgettable evening.”
This fall, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his solo career, Universal Music Group will release Sting: 25 Years. This definitive box set collection contains three comprehensive CD’s, all re-mastered exclusively for this set and personally curated by Sting, as well as a DVD, Rough, Raw & Unreleased, featuring previously unreleased live concert footage filmed at New York City’s Irving Plaza. As one of the world’s most distinctive and highly respected performers, he has sold nearly 100 million albums from his combined work with the Police and as a solo artist and has earned an additional 10 Grammy awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and three Oscar nominations. Also an accomplished author, Sting published a memoir entitled Broken Music in 2003, which spent 13 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list. He most recently released Lyrics, a comprehensive collection of lyrics and personal commentary, also featuring photographs from throughout his career.
One of the most popular singers in modern country music, Vince Gill has a love for country music, top-notch songwriting, and world-class guitar playing, all wrapped in a warm tenor and a quick and easy wit. Gill achieved his big breakthrough with “When I Call Your Name,” which won the Country Music Association’s Single of the Year award. Since then, he has won 17 more CMA honors, including Song of the Year four times – making him the most awarded artist in that category in CMA history. Since 1990, Gill has walked away with 20 Grammy Awards and has racked up sales in excess of 26 million. Gill co-hosted the CMA Awards for 12 consecutive years. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. After a long and musically productive spell of writing, touring and recording with other artists, he roars back on his own with “Threaten Me With Heaven,” his first single in four years. The song is the opening salvo from his MCA Records album, Guitar Slinger, due out Oct. 24.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Hear It Here- Blake Shelton Covers Kenny Loggins' "Footloose"
- Wikipedia defines a guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the "guilt" involved is simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt.
- Yeah... this is a lot like that. Click on the box to go to Mediabase and hear the new single that will be the audio centerpiece of the remake on the film Footloose.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Video Replay- Marc Broussard Covers Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic"
Marc Broussard recently stopped by Atlantic Record's Studio 1290 to record a couple of cool live performances. Here is his spin on Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic."
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Hear It Here- Willie Nelson- "The Scientist"
Willie Nelson has recorded a version of Coldplay's "The Scientist" for a short film sponsored by Chipotle. The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system.
Listen to the brand new track below:
Album Review- Sonia Leigh- 1978 December - CD Album Review
But it's that same uneven combination of genres that makes the listener drawn to some songs while pushing away others. Certainly there's something for everyone, but in the process, there are times where it makes it difficult to care for the entire breadth of styles. The wide swath of productions is an adventurous initiative that doesn't always work with this listener.
However, the title track, "1978 December," is one of our favorite tracks of 2011. Acoustically disarmed, the introspective and powerful lyrics use Leigh's birth date as a self-reminder to come out screaming in all she does. It's a metaphor for her life, her music and the music business in general. The bridge in which her mom puts it all in perspective when she relays the real importance at hand, "Girl you just got to eat more." Gritty vocal delivery and bold, disarmingly honest songwriting make this a solid album worth a listen.
☺☺☺ out of five
Monday, August 29, 2011
Songwriter George Green Passes Away
Songwriter George Michael Green passed away yesterday after a long battle with lung cancer. Green went to school with John Mellencamp in Seymour, Indiana and as a result, was a frequent collaborator with him. They wrote over a dozen songs together that appeared on his albums over the years including Billboard Top 10 Billboard hits "Crumblin' Down" and
"Hurts So Good".
Green also wrote hits for Van Zant, Lacy Dalton, Kenny Chesney ("Hook in the Heart" and "Girl in the Coffee Shop"), Gary Morris, Jude Cole, Hall and Oates, Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys, Dwight Yoakam and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. ASCAP has a list of many of the song titles HERE.
Jude Cole, singer/songwriter/producer said this on his Facebook page this morning, "
Green also wrote hits for Van Zant, Lacy Dalton, Kenny Chesney ("Hook in the Heart" and "Girl in the Coffee Shop"), Gary Morris, Jude Cole, Hall and Oates, Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys, Dwight Yoakam and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. ASCAP has a list of many of the song titles HERE.
Jude Cole, singer/songwriter/producer said this on his Facebook page this morning, "
Rockabilly Hall of Famer B. Jeff Stone Passes Away
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
inductee B. Jeff Stone passed
away Friday at the age of 75. Stone worked with Marty Robbins, Willie
Nelson and Jim Ed Brown and headed up bands called The Westernaires and
The Newsboys.
From his Rockabilly Hall of Fame bio:
B. Jeff Stone was born in San Antonio, Texas, on April 24, 1936. He is the youngest of three boys born to parents, Aaron and Elaine Stone. In his early teens, Jeff played and sang at school programs and began writing music at 18 years of age. When he was 18, he carried his songs and guitar to Charlie Fitch who owned a small record company (SARG) located in Luling, Texas. With all the confidence in the world, he walked in and told Mr. Fitch that he wanted to record some of the songs he had written. Charlie laughed and invited B. J. to sing some of them. Fitch was impressed and asked if he would record two of the compositions. One side of the "45" was "The Clown" and the flip side was "Everybody Rock".
In the late 1980s, ACE Records in England purchased the master and rights and again released the music on their London label; this was some 30 years after having been recorded by Stone. A short time after the London release, a label in Sweden purchased the master and released the music for the third time on their label.
At about the same time, Jeff approached Doc Parker who owned a radio station in Pleasonton, Texas (KBOP) - Willie Nelson and Johnny Bush were both working at the station at the time - and asked if he could have a 30-minute live radio show on Saturdays. After an audition, Parker agreed and the show was called JEFF STONE AND HIS TEXAS CUT-UPS.
After a stint in the U.S. Air Force, Stone returned to San Antonio determined to have a career in music. He organized THE WESTERNAIRS, a five-piece country band, and enjoyed success in the San Antonio area. The door finally opened when Nashville producer, Tommy Hill asked him to come to Nashville for a recording session. Stone recorded four of his own compositions, one of which became a national hit, "Hey, Little Newsboy". Because of the success of the song, Jeff's band changed their name to THE NEWSBOYS. With hand-picked musicians, Bobby Stone (as he was known then) toured and played across the U.S. with his band. The many locations included Las Vegas, the LBJ Ranch during his presidency, clubs, fairs and rodeos. He had a new booking agent, Billy Deaton, who was also managing Faron Young at the time.
Working on the road and managing a band became an ordeal and to slow down, Stone broke up his band and began working as a single act, touring and working with such greats as Marty Robbins, Willie Nelson, Jim Ed Brown and other legends. Jeff has starred on many albums produced by the U.S. Air Force, recorded in Nashville, and aired throughout the United States. He formed Newsboy Publishing in the 1960s through B.M.I. which he still owns.
In 1974, B. Jeff went through a burn-out period. In a recent interview he said: "I was tired and the excitement was gone that I had always felt when I walked on stage. I didn't feel the music and each performance became a chore. I realized it wasn't fair to the fans or myself." And the entertainer, that Marty Robbins once said would be one of the top country artists someday, walked out of the spotlight. B. Jeff started his own construction company, one that grew to be successful.
In 1995, with the love of music still intact and a desire to record again, B. Jeff called his old friend and record producer, Tommy Hill, in Nashville to get his thoughts on cutting a new album. They released EVERYBODY LOVES ME on Tommy's label (HILLTON) and distributed the ten-song CD in Europe. There was a big question mark in the mind of B. Jeff: "After 21 years, will my music be accepted?" After all this time, knowing that country music had gone through a drastic change, it was Jeff's opinion that many of the artists were nothing but a cast of young look-alike imitators! The question was quickly answered when play lists and letters of acceptance from European country radio came in on a daily basis. B. JEFF WAS BACK!!!
EVERYBODY LOVES ME became album of the week in England and numerous cuts crowded the European charts. "A Good Woman's Love" became a mainstay, being one of Europe's favorites. The song was one of B. Jeff's biggest hits to that date with his "Hey, Little Newsboy" running a close second, hitting Number 2 in the U.S. charts. B. Jeff recalled: "The good songs come to you in the blink of an eye; it's as though the good Lord is sending you a message. I wrote "Hey, Little Newsboy" on a napkin while having lunch at a San Antonio restaurant. "A Good Woman's Love" came to me one night while returning home from a performance." The title cut "Everybody Loves Me", another of B.J.'s compositions, became Europe's Number 9 album and made B. Jeff Stone the fourth-most-played artist in Europe.
In 1996, Stone came back with his second album, SOMETHING'S GOING ON, a CD which was again released in Europe but on his own label, Gold Crest International. Stone says: "I have never liked recording on other labels; there are too many draw-backs! You never know where your music is being played or what it is doing; you are only handed bits and pieces of information from busy record representatives. The incoming mail is seldom seen and I am a firm believer that any mail from country radio stations or fans should be answered. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that you have no control over your destiny!"
From that 1996 release came "The Other Side of Town" which hit European charts and was listed high in the World's Top 500 (all types of music). Bringing chuckles from millions was "Honey Do" another hit that incidently became the DJ's "rest" song because of it's five-minute play time. "Starlet Angel" and "Patricia's Song" (a song written for his wife) were also chart makers. Again, all four songs were penned by B. Jeff Stone.
In 1998, B. Jeff changed the name of his label to Nashville Gold Records, a title befitting the new album TEXAS COUNTRY which produced three major hits. "Texas Country Boy" reached the number one spot in Scandinavia and was number two in all of Europe. "The Blizzard" became number one in Scandinavia and in Europe. "Hello, Mr. Heartache" held the number one spot in Europe for an unheard-of sixteen weeks. The album became one of the Top Country Albums of 1998.
B. Jeff Stone won ten major country awards in 1999. He was named Europe's number one Traditional Country Artist by E.C.M.A. He was inducted into Florida's Greater Southern Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and inducted into the European ICMAG Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2001 he was inducted into the Texas-Lone Star State Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2002, he was nominated for the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame.
From his Rockabilly Hall of Fame bio:
B. Jeff Stone was born in San Antonio, Texas, on April 24, 1936. He is the youngest of three boys born to parents, Aaron and Elaine Stone. In his early teens, Jeff played and sang at school programs and began writing music at 18 years of age. When he was 18, he carried his songs and guitar to Charlie Fitch who owned a small record company (SARG) located in Luling, Texas. With all the confidence in the world, he walked in and told Mr. Fitch that he wanted to record some of the songs he had written. Charlie laughed and invited B. J. to sing some of them. Fitch was impressed and asked if he would record two of the compositions. One side of the "45" was "The Clown" and the flip side was "Everybody Rock".
In the late 1980s, ACE Records in England purchased the master and rights and again released the music on their London label; this was some 30 years after having been recorded by Stone. A short time after the London release, a label in Sweden purchased the master and released the music for the third time on their label.
At about the same time, Jeff approached Doc Parker who owned a radio station in Pleasonton, Texas (KBOP) - Willie Nelson and Johnny Bush were both working at the station at the time - and asked if he could have a 30-minute live radio show on Saturdays. After an audition, Parker agreed and the show was called JEFF STONE AND HIS TEXAS CUT-UPS.
After a stint in the U.S. Air Force, Stone returned to San Antonio determined to have a career in music. He organized THE WESTERNAIRS, a five-piece country band, and enjoyed success in the San Antonio area. The door finally opened when Nashville producer, Tommy Hill asked him to come to Nashville for a recording session. Stone recorded four of his own compositions, one of which became a national hit, "Hey, Little Newsboy". Because of the success of the song, Jeff's band changed their name to THE NEWSBOYS. With hand-picked musicians, Bobby Stone (as he was known then) toured and played across the U.S. with his band. The many locations included Las Vegas, the LBJ Ranch during his presidency, clubs, fairs and rodeos. He had a new booking agent, Billy Deaton, who was also managing Faron Young at the time.
Working on the road and managing a band became an ordeal and to slow down, Stone broke up his band and began working as a single act, touring and working with such greats as Marty Robbins, Willie Nelson, Jim Ed Brown and other legends. Jeff has starred on many albums produced by the U.S. Air Force, recorded in Nashville, and aired throughout the United States. He formed Newsboy Publishing in the 1960s through B.M.I. which he still owns.
In 1974, B. Jeff went through a burn-out period. In a recent interview he said: "I was tired and the excitement was gone that I had always felt when I walked on stage. I didn't feel the music and each performance became a chore. I realized it wasn't fair to the fans or myself." And the entertainer, that Marty Robbins once said would be one of the top country artists someday, walked out of the spotlight. B. Jeff started his own construction company, one that grew to be successful.
In 1995, with the love of music still intact and a desire to record again, B. Jeff called his old friend and record producer, Tommy Hill, in Nashville to get his thoughts on cutting a new album. They released EVERYBODY LOVES ME on Tommy's label (HILLTON) and distributed the ten-song CD in Europe. There was a big question mark in the mind of B. Jeff: "After 21 years, will my music be accepted?" After all this time, knowing that country music had gone through a drastic change, it was Jeff's opinion that many of the artists were nothing but a cast of young look-alike imitators! The question was quickly answered when play lists and letters of acceptance from European country radio came in on a daily basis. B. JEFF WAS BACK!!!
EVERYBODY LOVES ME became album of the week in England and numerous cuts crowded the European charts. "A Good Woman's Love" became a mainstay, being one of Europe's favorites. The song was one of B. Jeff's biggest hits to that date with his "Hey, Little Newsboy" running a close second, hitting Number 2 in the U.S. charts. B. Jeff recalled: "The good songs come to you in the blink of an eye; it's as though the good Lord is sending you a message. I wrote "Hey, Little Newsboy" on a napkin while having lunch at a San Antonio restaurant. "A Good Woman's Love" came to me one night while returning home from a performance." The title cut "Everybody Loves Me", another of B.J.'s compositions, became Europe's Number 9 album and made B. Jeff Stone the fourth-most-played artist in Europe.
In 1996, Stone came back with his second album, SOMETHING'S GOING ON, a CD which was again released in Europe but on his own label, Gold Crest International. Stone says: "I have never liked recording on other labels; there are too many draw-backs! You never know where your music is being played or what it is doing; you are only handed bits and pieces of information from busy record representatives. The incoming mail is seldom seen and I am a firm believer that any mail from country radio stations or fans should be answered. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that you have no control over your destiny!"
From that 1996 release came "The Other Side of Town" which hit European charts and was listed high in the World's Top 500 (all types of music). Bringing chuckles from millions was "Honey Do" another hit that incidently became the DJ's "rest" song because of it's five-minute play time. "Starlet Angel" and "Patricia's Song" (a song written for his wife) were also chart makers. Again, all four songs were penned by B. Jeff Stone.
In 1998, B. Jeff changed the name of his label to Nashville Gold Records, a title befitting the new album TEXAS COUNTRY which produced three major hits. "Texas Country Boy" reached the number one spot in Scandinavia and was number two in all of Europe. "The Blizzard" became number one in Scandinavia and in Europe. "Hello, Mr. Heartache" held the number one spot in Europe for an unheard-of sixteen weeks. The album became one of the Top Country Albums of 1998.
B. Jeff Stone won ten major country awards in 1999. He was named Europe's number one Traditional Country Artist by E.C.M.A. He was inducted into Florida's Greater Southern Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and inducted into the European ICMAG Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2001 he was inducted into the Texas-Lone Star State Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2002, he was nominated for the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
An Album With Blake & Miranda? Produced by Neal McCoy? Believe It Or Not...
Could Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton really be doing an album together? Or are the other rumors that they're co-producing Neal McCoy's new album the real story? Watch the video and decide for yourself...
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